Tag: Don Shula

Watch Mike Shula narrate tribute to dads during the ESPYs

Mike Shula, the son of legendary NFL coach Don Shula, narrated a tribute to dads on Father’s Day.

During the ESPY Awards show on Sunday evening, Denver Broncos quarterbacks coach Mike Shula narrated a tribute to his late father, Don — and all dads — on Father’s Day.

Mike was hired by Denver in January after recent coaching stints with the Giants and Panthers. His dad, Don, owns the most wins by a coach in NFL history (328) and won one NFL championship and two Super Bowls. A four-time Coach of the Year, Don died at age 90 on May 4 earlier this year.

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Dolphins announce first formal public honoring of late coach Don Shula

Dolphins announce first formal public honoring of late coach Don Shula

The football world paid their respects to the late, great coach Don Shula upon the news of his passing on May 4th at the age of 90. Now, the South Florida community will have the opportunity to do the same. The Miami Dolphins have revealed their first measure of public honoring for Coach Shula. The first measures will be done in adherence to current social distancing measures — but fans will none the less be given the opportunity to arrive at Hard Rock Stadium and participate in a procession past the statue of Shula late next week.

The procession, which will take place from 2 PM – 7 PM EST next Friday, May 22nd and from 10 AM to 4 PM next Saturday, May 23rd, will allow fans to enter the stadium parking lots via Gate 5 and view Shula’s statue, situated outside of Hard Rock Stadium.

Due to the current COVID-19 pandemic, fans are being asked not to bring items to the statue.

There will be more memorials for Shula in the future, specifically once the current health crisis is deemed more stable and will allow for bigger public gatherings. Those plans are yet to be determined and will be announced at a later date — once there is further clarity on public health.

Tua Tagovailoa gets important advice from Hall of Fame QB Bob Griese

While telling tales of his time under Shula he offered some advice to the next Miami quarterback, Tagovailoa. Griese made his point clear…

Former Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa was selected by the Miami Dolphins with the No. 5 pick in the 2020 NFL draft. While this selection was a moment of celebration for Dolphins fans, news struck just two weeks later that legendary head coach Don Shula passed away.

One of Shula’s former players, Bob Griese, came out to tell of his time with the coach.

Griese was a quarterback on the 1972 Dolphins, the only team in NFL history to have an undefeated finish. While telling tales of his time under Shula he offered some advice to the next Miami quarterback, Tagovailoa.

“Everybody says that the offensive line that Marino had was a great offensive line,” Griese said. “Some of those guys were great, but he never got sacked hardly and I smile when I talk to Marino about this. Marino just got rid of it.”

Holding onto the ball was a blessing and a curse for Tagovailoa while at Alabama. Sometimes plays would develop over time, or it would lead to a sack that put him at a high risk for injury.

“If there wasn’t anybody open and there was a guy coming at him right down the middle, Marino would get rid of that football,” said Griese. “That was a great trait to have. That’s a great coaching point. If you don’t see anybody, don’t take the sack and get rid of the ball.”

Griese made his point clear. Tua is better off losing the down than losing yards and points off of his health.

He then continues that coaching will help, but watching what Dan Marino did in his time with the Dolphins will help greatly.

“That’s going to be one of the great things that the Dolphins are probably going to tell Tua when he gets in here is look at Marino,” said Griese. “Look at some films of Marino.”

Dolphins fans will likely have to wait until the 2021 season to claim Tua as their starting quarterback. The team still has Ryan Fitzpatrick under contract through the 2020 season and will look to have the Alabama product heal fully on the sidelines and get to know the playbook.

This was some crucial advice that Tagovailoa ought to consider and take to heart, especially considering the legend it came from. He joins some elite company as a Dolphins quarterback – not as of late – and will hope to have his name last in South Florida as long as Marino’s and Griese’s.

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Remembering Don Shula: Reliving epic 1982 playoff game between Chargers, Dolphins

The ‘Epic in Miami’ was arguably one of the most memorable games that Don Shula coached.

“A great game. Maybe the greatest ever,” legendary coach Don Shula said.

Thirty-eight years later, the game Shula was describing is still considered one of the greatest games in NFL history.

The “Epic in Miami” was the San Diego Chargers’ overtime win against the Miami Dolphins in the divisional round of the playoffs on Jan. 2, 1982.

Coming into the game, the Bolts led the league offensively in points (478), passing yards (4,873) and total yards (6,744). This was the prime of the Air Coryell era.

Chargers quarterback Dan Fouts was taking the league by storm with the help of a dynamic pass-catching trio in wide receivers Charlie Joiner and Wes Chandler and tight end Kellen Winslow, who revolutionized his position.

The Dolphins, on the other hand, were led by a phenomenal defense that ranked No. 5 in points allowed. Their offense wasn’t extraordinary, but they had a strong running game with the duo of Tony Nathan and Andra Franklin, who combined for 1,493 yards that season.

The first quarter was absolute domination by the Chargers in every phase of the game. The Bolts raced to a 24-0 lead with a 32-yard field goal, a 58-yard punt return for a touchdown by Chandler, a one-yard rushing touchdown by Chuck Muncie and an 8-yard passing touchdown from Fouts to James Brooks.

The beginning of the second quarter was no different for the Dolphins, as their first offensive drive resulted in an incompletion, two sacks and a fumble. Shula wasn’t having it anymore, so he made the decision to bench starting quarterback David Woodley in favor of Don Strock.

Strock led Miami to 17 points in the second quarter, including a memorable hook-and-lateral play near the end of the half.

By halftime, the Dolphins cut the deficit to just seven points after being down by 24 in the first-quarter.

Coming out of the locker room, Miami’s momentum carried, as Strock connected with wide receiver Joe Rose in the end zone for a 15-yard touchdown pass to tie the game, 24-24.

The Chargers were stunned with the Dolphins’ remarkable comeback, but they didn’t let up. Fouts found Winslow for a 25-yard touchdown to take a 31-24 lead. But Miami answered with a 50-yard touchdown pass from Strock to tight end Bruce Hardy late in the third quarter.

In the fourth quarter, Fouts was intercepted by safety Lyle Blackwood, which set up the Dolphins for a 15-yard touchdown run and a 38-31 lead. The Chargers would tie the score at 38 when Fouts hooked up with Brooks on a 9-yard touchdown pass.

The two teams exchanged drives after the score, but Miami was in position to win the game after recovering a fumble by Muncie. The Dolphins drove down to San Diego’s 26-yard line with time about to expire.

It seemed that kicker Uwe von Schamann was going to punch Miami’s ticket to the AFC Championship Game, but Winslow blocked the kick to force overtime.

The Dolphins were another position to win after they drove down into Chargers’ territory once again, but von Schamann’s attempt was blocked again, this time by defensive end Leroy Jones.

The Chargers then sealed the deal. A 35-yard pass from Fouts to Joiner set up the Bolts in Miami’s red zone, and Rolf Benirschke drilled the 29-yard field goal that sent San Diego to its second consecutive AFC Championship Game.

The offenses put on a show in the Orange Bowl, combining for 1,036 yards in the Chargers’ 41-38 victory.

Three Chargers receivers cracked the 100-yard mark, led by Winslow – the hero of the game. Winslow had 13 catches for 166 yards and the crucial blocked field goal at the end of regulation.

It was one of the best performances of Winslow’s Hall of Fame career, as he played with an injured shoulder, pinched nerve, swollen eye, cramps and dehydration from the South Florida humidity.

“My recollection of that game,” Shula said, “is that we had players who continued to help Winslow get up off the field when he was down and tired and didn’t have enough strength to get up. We were helping him up, and he would turn around and make a big play again. I was trying to get them to let him get up by himself.”

That difficult loss is overshadowed by Shula’s overall body of work.

His 347 wins are the most in NFL history. Miami won 66% of its games with 16 playoff bids and five conference championships and two Super Bowl appearances, including back-to-back titles during Shula’s 26 seasons as their head coach. Previously, he won 71 games in seven seasons as head coach of the Baltimore Colts, whom he guided to Super Bowl III. His legacy as a football innovator who changed the game forever will always be remembered.

How secure are late coach Don Shula’s records from Bill Belichick?

How secure are late coach Don Shula’s records from Bill Belichick?

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With the news of Miami Dolphins legend Don Shula’s passing yesterday, the football world stopped yesterday to pay their respects — no matter of team affiliations or rivalries. The successes of Shula and his positive impact on so many players and coaches alike transcends rooting interests. The success that followed Shula across the landscape is only a byproduct of his strong management and leadership approach to coaching. Two losing seasons in 33 years is an incredible testament to Shula’s staying power.

And upon his passing, Shula holds two of the NFL’s most incredible coaching records:

  • Most wins: 328 (347 including postseason play)
  • Most games above .500: 172

But there is a figure looming in the background who may come to threaten both of those marks — New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick is in striking distance if the Patriots are able to retain their pace as a the dynasty they’ve become over the course of the last two decades.

Belichick is credited with 273 regular season wins, trailing Shula by 55 wins. Mapping out win totals, Belichick would need to register five consecutive 11-5 seasons to tie Shula’s all-time regular season win figure — that feat would make Belichick 73 years old at the time of a potential tie in 2025. Over the last five seasons, the Patriots have won 62 football games — so this is a pace that is certainly reasonable. With that said, the departure of QB Tom Brady may threaten to derail Belichick’s pace and could ultimately be the deterrent needed to keep Shula’s 328 head coaching wins unmatched.

If the Patriots were to slip to a 9 win average (more in line with the rest of the mere mortals in the NFL), Belichick would need to enter into 7 more seasons with the Patriots to acquire 55 more wins. A challenging 2020 season for the Patriots would be a big wrench in Belichick’s potential challenge to Shula’s win record.

As far as Shula’s status as the best figure for games above .500, Belichick trails Shula by 26 games. Five straight 11-5 seasons for Belichick would allow him to pass Shula at some point in 2025 — but again, one bad season this late in Belichick’s career could tank his chances all together. Even if the Patriots averaged 10-6 for the rest of Belichick’s career, he’d need 7 full seasons averaging 10-6 to get the mark.

So with that in mind, it should be all that much easier to root for a regression season from the Patriots in 2020. They’re overdue by about 20 years, anyway.

From Super Bowl III to Adam Gase, Don Shula was a fixture in Jets history

Dolphins Hall of Fame coach Don Shula, who won the most games of any NFL coach in history, died on Monday. He was 90.

Don Shula, who won the most games of any NFL coach and led the Miami Dolphins to the only perfect season in league history, died on Monday at the age of 90.

A legendary coach and a fierce competitor, Shula won two of his five Super Bowl appearances and totaled 12 AFC East titles. His footprint can be felt all over the game of football, including the Jets organization. He died peacefully in his home surrounded by loved ones, according to the Dolphins.

“Don Shula was the patriarch of the Miami Dolphins for 50 years,” the team said in a statement. “He brought the winning edge to our franchise and put the Dolphins and the city of Miami in the national sports scene. Our deepest thoughts and prayers go out to Mary Anne along with his children Dave, Donna, Sharon, Anne and Mike.”

Although Shula won 347 games and had only two losing seasons in 33 years of coaching, there was always one loss in particular that stung more than the others. Before he cemented himself among NFL royalty in Miami, Shula coached the Baltimore Colts. He was the man in charge when the Colts lost Super Bowl III at the hands of Joe Namath and the Jets. The Jets became the first AFL team to win the Super Bowl after achieving one of the greatest upsets in sports history with a 16-7 route of Baltimore.

“Did it motivate me later on? I think I was always a pretty motivated guy as a student, as a player, as a coach, as a father,” Shula once said of the defeat, according to the New York Post. “But sure, it was something I had to learn to live with. It happens, and you can’t change that it happened, so you learn to live with it and you try to learn from it. Did it make me a better coach? Every game I lost helped make me a better coach.”

Shula’s Baltimore and Miami teams met with the Jets 56 times, including two of the most important games in Gang Green history of the franchise. In addition, to beating the Colts coach for Super Bowl III, Shula was also with the Dolphins for the Mud Bowl.

The Jets were forced to play Shula’s Dolphins twice a year. In Shula’s 26 years of coaching the Dolphins, his squad swept the Jets 11 times, including a three for three in 1982 that included the Mud Bowl. The Dolphins beat the Jets, 14-0, in that infamous game for that year’s AFC Championship game. Miami would go on to lose to the Washington Redskins in Super Bowl XVII.

Shula played the Jets more than any opposing head coach. His 32 wins over Gang Green are second-most by any coach, with all 32 coming at helm of the Dolphins. The Jets’ 18 road losses at the hands of Shula-coached teams are the most against any coach in franchise history.

While Shula’s dominance over the Jets hasn’t carried forth to this day, his teachings and his legacy can be seen in the current team. More specifically, they can be seen in Adam Gase, who had a relationship with Shula when he coached the Dolphins from 2016-18.

“I want to extend my deepest condolences to Coach Shula’s family and the Miami Dolphins community,” Gase said in a statement. “Any time I got to spend with him was always the best part of my day. I truly enjoyed getting to know him and treasured each and every interaction we had. He was a fountain of information who was readily available to assist when asked. Coach Shula was rightly revered as a great coach and a better person. He will be missed tremendously.”

Memorable names off of Dolphins legend Don Shula’s coaching tree

Memorable names off of Dolphins legend Don Shula’s coaching tree

The lasting impact of Miami Dolphins legend Don Shula has left on the NFL extends well beyond just his legacy with the Dolphins. And now that Shula has passed, his far-reaching impact on the game of football is more important than ever as we look out across the NFL landscape to appreciate just how much Shula has helped make the NFL what we know and love.

One popular barometer for NFL coaches is to look at their “tree” — assistants who work under a coach before moving on to a promotion elsewhere and, hopefully, a head coaching gig for a different team. Shula’s coaching tree is vast and holds many branches — thanks in large part to some early relationships created during his time with both the Baltimore Colts and Miami Dolphins.

Here are just some of the names on Shula’s coaching tree.

Chuck Noll, Pittsburgh Steelers (Pro Football Hall of Fame, 1993)

Noll served three seasons as Shula’s defensive coordinator with the Baltimore Colts before moving on to become the head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1969. Noll would hold that job until his retirement in 1991. By extension, Noll adds the following names to Shula’s coaching tree by association — plus what names each of the them add onto the extending branches of Shula’s coaching tree.

  • Tony Dungy (Pro Football Hall of Fame, 2016)
    • Jim Caldwell (Colts/Lions)
    • Herm Edwards (current Arizona State Sun Devils head coach)
    • Mike Tomlin (current Pittsburgh Steelers head coach)
    • Frank Reich (current Indianapolis Colts head coach)
  • John Fox (Panthers/Broncos/Bears)
    • Vic Fangio (current Denver Broncos head coach)
    • Adam Gase (current New York Jets head coach)

Shula’s coaching tree enjoys one heck of a boost from the Noll branch — a testament to the stability of seeing one of his key assistants in Baltimore spend two decades as a staple of another proud franchise in Pittsburgh with the Steelers.

Bill Arnsparger, New York Giants & LSU Tigers

Arnsparger isn’t a coaching staple, but he was a constant presence around Shula’s Dolphins — every few years he’d suddenly find himself back working with Shula. He served as Shula’s DL coach in Baltimore with the Colts and was Shula’s defensive coordinator on two separate occasions from 1970-1973 and then again from 1976-1983. The duo coached in four Super Bowls together with the Dolphins. Arnsparger’s branch of Shula’s tree is owed to one key hire with the New York Giants.

  • Marty Schottenheimer, Browns/Chiefs/Redskins/Chargers
    • Bruce Arians (current Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach)
    • Bill Cowher (Pro Football Hall of Fame, 2020)
    • Mike McCarthy (current Dallas Cowboys head coach)
    • Wade Phillips (former Saints, Broncos, Bills, Falcons, Cowboys & Texans head coach)
    • Art Shell (former LA/Oakland Raiders head coach)
    • Tony Sparano (former Miami Dolphins head coach)
    • Hue Jackson (former Cleveland Browns head coach)

Schottenheimer served as Arnsparger’s linebackers coach for two years in New York with the Giants from 1975-1976. Schottenheimer went on to serve as the head coach of the Cleveland Browns, Kansas City Chiefs, Washington Redskins and San Diego Chargers. With 200 career wins, Schottenheimer is the only NFL head coach with 200+ wins not inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Remember this. The odds are strong that at some point along the way, Don Shula’s coaching impacted and shaped those who molded the coaches who hold positions with NFL franchises near and far. It serves as another credit to Shula’s legacy with the NFL — at least three Hall of Fame head coaches have had their careers guided by Shula or his disciples and nearly one quarter of the NFL’s active head coaches stem from just two branches of Shula’s 33-year head coaching career.

Larry Csonka recalls classic prank on Don Shula at training camp

Larry Csonka recalls classic prank on Don Shula at training camp

As the Miami Dolphins community mourns the loss of legendary coach Don Shula, many in the sports world have been quick to step forward and share their experiences with Shula. Many are poignant. For others, the stories are sentimental. Dolphins legend Larry Csonka? One of his stories about Shula is a little different.

During the Miami Dolphins glory days in the early 1970s, Shula molded the Dolphins from an a lowly squad and into a group of hard nosed, disciplined players. But that didn’t mean there wasn’t give and take. Csonka, for example, had a key role in pranking Shula during training camp — but putting a live alligator in Shula’s shower in the locker room.

Csonka recalled the story yesterday upon the news breaking that Shula had passed.

Csonka’s story serves as a reminder that while Shula did preside over the Dolphins with a strong disciplinarian tone, he wasn’t a stiff and he still had strong relationships with his players — to allow an environment in which the players and Shula could have these kinds of hilarious exchanges. It showed in the results, too — Shula’s Dolphins were 57-12-1 and played in three Super Bowls (winning two) in Shula’s first five seasons in Miami.

With the news of Shula’s passing still so new, we will undoubtedly hear a slew of stories just like this one from Csonka in the coming days.

College Football Morning Announcements: April 5, 2020

What are the headlines around college football and Notre Dame today? Find out here by reading and/or listening!

Remember when you used to get to school and the kid who had a speech impediment would read the morning announcements and say 87% of students names incorrectly?  That’s kind of what we’re going to be doing here in quick podcast form.

We’ll release the morning announcements with reaction to anything that happens the day or two previous and share them with you here. We’ll also highlight a few of the most interesting things that happened pertaining to Notre Dame or college sports the day before.

PODCAST – Pilot Episode:
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Mentioned Links:

Will Shipley to Commit on Tuesday – Clemson vs Notre Dame

ESPN 300 – Notre Dame’s Six Listed Players and Five Takeaways

NFL Cancels Games Abroad for 2020 – Is the NCAA next?

Don Shula Passes – His Dream Job Once was Notre Dame Head Coach

Top 10 College Football Helmets – My Rankings